Run the full work order lifecycle

This guide shows you how to create, review, coordinate, and close a work order in ATOM.

#Create a work order

Create a work order from the inbox when an email or conversation describes maintenance work.

1. Open the inbox item. 2. Select the action to create a work order. 3. Review the fields in the Create work order drawer, including Title, Description, Property, Priority, and Service type. 4. Select Create work order.

Title and Property are required for a new work order. The available priority values are Low, Normal, High, and Emergency. The creation form offers General, Maintenance, Repair, Installation, and Other service types.

Follow Turn inbox requests into work orders for the full inbox procedure.

#Find the right work order

Open Work orders from the main navigation. Search by work-order text or use the Status filter.

The standard list has search and a Status filter. It does not have an on-page Open or Needs action switcher.

• The default Work orders link shows all loaded work orders.
• Operator links can open Needs action for work that needs an office decision or follow-up.
• A link to /work-orders?view=open opens the Open view.

Open excludes cancelled and superseded work orders and records whose derived stage is Completed or Cancelled. Completed field work can remain Open at the Invoicing stage until payment completes the lifecycle.

On a desktop-sized screen, ATOM opens the first visible work order after the list loads. The list remains beside the detail page. On a smaller screen, select a row to open it.

#Read the work order detail page

The detail page shows the request, related quotes, bookings, invoices, property, agency, and recorded activity.

• Next step summarises what the work order is waiting on and offers one action, such as Book visit or View booking. It is hidden when the work order is closed or nothing is left to do.
• Lifecycle lists Request received, Quote, Booking, and Invoice in order.
• Request shows the sender, received time, description, and attachments.
• Activity shows the work-order timeline for owners and office users.
• The properties panel beside the page shows Status, Priority, Service type, Categories, Property, Agency, Assignee, and Visit. It also shows From when the request came from an email.
• Conversations lists the linked Inbox conversations.

Select Open in Inbox, or a conversation under Conversations, when the work order has a linked inbox source. These links are not shown when ATOM cannot resolve a source thread.

#Use the Request section for job details

Use Request for the work-order description. Use the properties panel for its classification.

• Select the description in Request to edit it inline.
• Use Add category… under Categories to add an active category.
• Select the Priority or Service type value to change it. When a value is missing, select Select….
• Select the attachment count in Request to open the file viewer.

The detail page supports General, Repair, Maintenance, Installation, and Inspection service types. These values differ from the new-work-order form, which offers Other instead of Inspection.

Categories added manually can be removed. Categories applied by another source remain visible but cannot be removed from this control.

The detail page displays existing work-order attachments. It does not provide an upload control in the Request section. Use an intake or field-app form that provides an upload control.

#Confirm property and agency in the properties panel

Use the properties panel to confirm Property and Agency before you quote or schedule the job.

Select the property or agency link to open its record. Correct addresses, contacts, and agency details on those records. Do not copy corrected contact data into the work-order description.

#Read the Next step and Lifecycle sections

Lifecycle lists one step for the request and for each related record type:

• Request received shows when the request arrived.
• Quote shows the quote version, status, and amount when available.
• Booking shows the booking status and scheduled time when available.
• Invoice shows the invoice number, status, and amount when available.

An empty step shows No quote yet, No booking yet, or No invoice yet. It provides an add action, such as Add quote, when your role can create that record. A populated step provides View, which opens the related drawer. Its accessible name is View quote details, View booking details, or View invoice details. A quote step is marked done when the quote is accepted, a booking step when the visit is done, and an invoice step when it is paid.

Next step above the list names the current coordination state or the first unfinished step. When ATOM knows who the work is waiting on, it shows Waiting on with that party. Open the related record to confirm what happened.

#Open the right record from the work order

Open the Lifecycle step for the task you need to complete:

• Open Quote to prepare, approve, or send pricing. Follow Build, approve, and send a quote.
• Open Booking to assign and schedule a visit. Follow Book and manage technician visits.
• Open Invoice to review, issue, and track payment. Follow Track invoices, payments, and Xero status.

An accepted quote records customer approval. It does not confirm that a technician attended or completed the work. Check the booking status and field closeout record for attendance and completion.

#Map each status to the right next action

ATOM stores these work-order request statuses:

• New means the request has entered ATOM but has not progressed through intake.
• Triage means the request needs office review.
• Need Info means the request is blocked while information is missing.
• Ready means intake is complete and the work can move to quoting or scheduling.
• Active means coordination or execution is in progress.
• Completed means the work order has been closed.
• Rejected means the work order has been cancelled.

ATOM also stores a lifecycle state: Open, Completed, Cancelled, or Superseded. When a lifecycle state is present, the detail badge displays that broader lifecycle state instead of the request status.

Related records produce a separate stage used elsewhere in ATOM: Work order, Quoting, Quoted, Booking, Scheduled, In progress, Invoicing, Completed, or Cancelled. For example, accepted pricing can produce Quoted, an in-progress booking can produce In progress, and a sent or part-paid invoice can produce Invoicing.

These labels describe different states. Request status describes intake and work progress. Lifecycle state shows whether the work order is open, completed, cancelled, or superseded. The derived stage describes progress across quotes, bookings, and invoices.

#Use the Needs action view

Open the Needs action view to find work that requires a decision or follow-up. The queue can include intake review, overdue approval, dispatch exceptions, missing closeout evidence, invoice blockers, and payment exceptions.

Each row shows a lane such as Intake, Approval, Dispatch, Closeout, or Invoice. It also shows the action-required coordination reason and due time. ATOM orders the queue by escalation, due time, then newest creation time.

Use the available row actions as follows:

• Select Acknowledge to record that you saw the item. It does not assign ownership.
• Select Snooze to remove it from the queue until the snooze expires.
• Choose a delay reason and select Notify property manager when a delay notice is appropriate.

Need Info does not by itself define the Needs action queue. ATOM derives membership from an action-required coordination reason and snooze state, then uses the due time for ordering.

#Put work on hold, cancel it, or reopen it

Users with work-order lifecycle permission can open Actions. The menu can also appear on completed or cancelled work orders so they can be reopened.

• Select Put on hold, enter a Hold reason, and select Put on hold. A hold pauses active coordination but keeps elapsed time for reporting.
• Select Resume work to remove the hold.
• Select Cancel work order to move an open work order to the cancelled lifecycle without deleting its history.
• Select Reopen work order on a completed or cancelled work order to return it to active work.

While a work order is on hold, resume it before you use Put on hold or Close without invoice. Lifecycle actions are unavailable offline. They also require the current synced version of the work order. Reconnect or refresh before retrying.

#Complete work and check invoice readiness

Field closeout records an outcome of completed work, tenant unavailability, or a no-show. A closeout can also record labour, materials, follow-up, and sign-off data. Do not mark work complete based only on quote approval or a scheduled booking.

Completed billable work can remain at the Invoicing stage until the invoice is paid. Invoice readiness for completed work depends on an invoice, at least one line item, a billing recipient, and office review. A Draft invoice is not ready to issue until it reaches Ready for review and has no readiness blockers.

For non-billable work, first resume the work order if it is on hold. Open Actions and select Close without invoice. Choose No charge, Warranty, Write-off, or Other, add an optional note, and select Close without invoice. ATOM blocks this action if a non-void invoice already exists.

#Use Activity for recorded history

Activity is the timeline on the work-order detail page. It can combine audit events, inbox messages, field submissions, and internal notes. Entries linked to a quote, booking, invoice, or field submission open the related record.

Owners and office users who can add internal comments can type in Add an internal note… and select Add note. Notes stay internal and are not sent to the agency or tenant. Record customer communication in the linked inbox thread. Use the optional note in Close without invoice only for that closeout decision.

#Pick the right record for each edit

Use these records to edit the relevant information:

• Edit the work description in Request, and the priority, service type, and categories in the properties panel.
• Edit pricing, quote notes, approval, and sending on the quote.
• Edit the technician and visit timing on the booking.
• Edit invoice lines, recipient, review state, sending, and payment on the invoice.
• Edit the address and property contacts on the property.
• Edit agency contacts and billing details on the agency.
• Send and record customer messages in the linked inbox thread.

#Return to the list or source conversation

Use the Work orders breadcrumb to return to the list. Close a quote, booking, or invoice drawer to remain on the same work order. Use Open in Inbox to return to the source conversation when a link is available.

#Final check

Before you hand off a work order, confirm that:

• The request status and lifecycle state match the current record state.
• The description, property, priority, service type, and categories are correct.
• Quote approval is not being used as proof of technician execution.
• The booking and field closeout reflect attendance and work completed.
• Completed billable work has an invoice with line items, a recipient, and the correct review state.
• Delays and exceptions appear in Needs action when ATOM derives an action-required coordination state.
• Customer communication remains in the linked inbox thread.
• Existing attachments open from the Request section.

If the available controls do not match this guide, contact support@atomworks.app and include the work-order number and the step you could not complete.